Trigeminal nociceptors: Neural intersection of chronic pain and alveolar bone remodeling

口面组织受伤害性初级传入神经（或伤害感受器）的丰富支配。伤害感受器传递 疼痛信号进入大脑对有害刺激的反应。伤害感受器还复杂地调节 通过控制宿主反应来控制受神经支配的组织。在受伤或感染的情况下，功能失调的伤害感受器导致 病理性慢性疼痛的发展和受影响组织的异常破坏性反应。博士 Chung独特的R35程序解决了三叉神经伤害感受器在口腔中两个基本领域的双重作用。 健康钟医生是一名牙医科学家，他的职业生涯致力于颅面神经科学研究 专注于三叉神经伤害感受器他将继续他正在进行的颅面疼痛研究， 假设伤害性传入的长期沉默是镇痛的，并且效果足以 逆转与慢性疼痛相关的大脑区域的适应不良神经可塑性变化。另外，钟医生 正在重新审视他对牙齿相关神经生物学的长期兴趣，并将研究神经免疫和 牙槽骨破坏和重建的神经骨骼调节机制。他假设， 伤害性传入调节牙周感染或正畸力下的牙周宿主反应， 控制牙槽骨的病理生理重塑。钟博士在这些领域的研究旨在 阐明慢性疼痛和牙槽骨重塑的机制，以及它们与三叉神经的交叉点， 伤害感受器预期的结果可能会产生重大影响，不仅在阐明基本的 机制，但也在翻译领域，包括开发新的方法来控制慢性疼痛， 通过调节伤害性传入或伤害性感受器富集分子进行牙槽骨重塑。

Orofacial tissues are richly innervated by nociceptive primary afferents (or nociceptors). Nociceptors transmit pain signals into brain in response to harmful stimuli. Nociceptors also intricately regulate homeostasis of innervated tissues by controlling host responses. Under injury or infection, dysfunctional nociceptors lead to the development of pathological chronic pain and abnormal destructive responses of affected tissues. Dr. Chung’s unique R35 program addresses dual roles of trigeminal nociceptors in two fundamental areas in oral health. Dr. Chung is a dentist scientist, who has devoted his career to craniofacial neuroscience research focused on trigeminal nociceptors. He will continue his ongoing craniofacial pain studies by testing the hypothesis that long-term silencing of nociceptive afferents is analgesic, and that the effects are sufficient to reverse maladaptive neuroplastic changes of brain regions associated with chronic pain. Moreover, Dr. Chung is revisiting his long-term interest in tooth-related neurobiology, and will investigate the neuroimmune and neuroskeletal regulatory mechanisms of alveolar bone destruction and remodeling. He hypothesizes that nociceptive afferents regulate periodontal host responses under periodontal infection or orthodontic force to control pathophysiological remodeling of alveolar bone. Dr. Chung’s research in these areas is aimed at elucidating the mechanisms of chronic pain and alveolar bone remodeling, and their intersection with trigeminal nociceptors. The anticipated outcomes will likely have significant impact, not only in elucidating basic mechanisms but also in translational areas including development of novel methods to control chronic pain and alveolar bone remodeling by regulating nociceptive afferents or nociceptor-enriched molecules.